Absent Doodles
by IJustWannaWrite
Summary: Valentine's Day is coming up and everything is in place for the Gap Attack- the song is set, the Warblers are tuned up and ready to go and Blaine couldn't be more excited. But when he accidentally takes Kurt's notebook and finds a certain heart-shaped doodle, Blaine's suddenly not sure if Jeremiah is the boy he wants to be serenading after all...
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: Hello! This is my first ever fanfiction so please be somewhat gentle! :)_

_Okay, I have read quite a lot of glee fanfictions, mainly Klaine, and after watching the second season for the millionth time, I got the idea for this. I'm not entirely sure if the characters are in canon, so I apologise right now if they are not. And on that note, the Warblers in this fic are most likely going to be fanon!Warblers. Sorry, but we don't really know that much from the series and I preferred to do it this way!_

_Summary: Valentine's Day is coming up and everything is in place for the Gap Attack- the song is set, the Warblers are tuned up and ready to go and Blaine couldn't be more excited. But when he accidentally takes Kurt's notebook and finds a certain heart-shaped doodle, Blaine's suddenly not sure if Jeremiah is the boy he wants to be serenading after all..._

_*'thoughts'._

_*_** text messages.**

_Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the universe of Glee. That privilege belongs to Fox and Ryan Murphy._

Thursday 10th February- 4 days until the Gap Attack.

Blaine practically skipped through the halls of Dalton, a huge grin stretching his face. The fellow classmates and Warblers he passed as he walked by shot him amused looks and a few even shook their heads at him but he paid them no mind. Some small part of his brain had clued into the fact that he looked like an idiot but he couldn't find it in himself to care and as he looked around at the decorations strewn about, his grin only got bigger.

Valentine's Day was coming up.

And Blaine Anderson couldn't be more excited.

Everything was in place: he had gained the approval of the Warbler's council to host an off-campus impromptu performance; he had chosen a song he thought would be perfect to declare his feelings to Jeremiah and the rest of the group had just finished working out their backing harmonies. Now all that was left for Blaine and the Warblers to do was to wait for the day of the Gap Attack. And the wait was practically killing him.

"Hey Kurt!" he called out as soon as he spotted his friend sat at a table in a corner of the library. He sent a quick smile of apology to the irate librarian who had quickly shushed him and walked over.

Kurt seemed to pause for a moment before he lifted his head to look at Blaine, the welcoming smile on his face not quite meeting his grey eyes. Blaine's own beam faltered for a brief second- Kurt had been acted a little off recently and no matter how many times Blaine asked him, the countertenor still claimed that nothing was wrong. Blaine didn't believe him for one second and the fact that Kurt seemed to be hiding something from him both hurt and worried him. Weren't they supposed to be honest with each other? Hadn't Blaine always tried to be there for Kurt when he needed him, and hadn't Kurt always seemed to be there for him? Oh how the shorter boy wanted to question him about it until he broke down and told him everything- but that wouldn't and couldn't happen. Not only would Kurt give him _the look _that had even Wes backing down quickly, he knew that by pushing Kurt to speak he would risk the trust they already had in one another. No, the best thing he could do was to wait it all out. With that last thought, he quickly tried to shake off his worry, figuring his friend would come to him when he was ready and sat down.

"Hi Blaine," Kurt greeted as he turned back to the work in front of him.

"Busy time, huh?" Blaine said sympathetically as he took in the books strewn across the desk along with the many loose papers and random pens.

"Mr Mason set us more homework than usual to prepare us for the pop quiz he has decided we need to do next Tuesday. You're looking very cheery today." He answered and commented as the other brunette pulled some of his own books and notepads out of his messenger bag.

Blaine's eyes lit up as he replied. "Yeah, I'm just so excited for Monday. Four more days- I can't wait!"

Something flickered in taller boy's eyes too quickly for the soloist to comprehend what it was.

"Of course you are," Kurt muttered bitterly to himself. Blaine tilted his head slightly as he frowned.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," Kurt assured as he plastered a smile in his face. The look was entirely fake, something that was quite uncommon in an interaction between the two boys, but as Blaine opened his mouth to question it- and break his recent vow not to push him-, Kurt cut across him with a question.

"So, is everything all set?"

Blaine's enthusiasm was back in full force. He nodded eagerly as he opened his mouth and began to gush.

"Yes, everything's set. Wes was happy with the rehearsal we did earlier, said he liked the enthusiasm we all gave or something like that. I have to agree with him, I mean it's great to hear you guys get so into the performance! It means a lot to me that you're all trying your best to be there for me, I'm so grateful to you all." The beam was back in place and it was only as he finished that he realised he was leaning far forward in his seat, almost too far forward to be socially polite.

It was also only then that he properly took in the expression on his best friend's face.

The odd expression that had been making a regular appearance recently was back and though Blaine still wasn't sure what the emotion was in his eyes, he looked slightly pained. The countertenor's eyes were not their usual cerulean blue but instead were a drab grey that Blaine had only seen when they first met and Kurt was dealing with the Karofsky situation, or when he was feeling a little homesick and missing his family. The expression had only lasted a few seconds before the strained smile returned. It was almost as if Kurt had let a mask drop for a moment and was slightly too slow in putting it back in place. Is that what he was doing? If he was, why was he wearing a mask now, here with Blaine? Surely he knew he didn't need to wear one in Blaine's company? Or had Blaine himself done something wrong? Now the worry was back in full force. Something was going on with his best friend, something he was not telling him and that was enough to push his own feelings of excitement aside for a moment.

"Kurt, what's wrong?" he asked in a softer tone. His brow furrowed in concern as he leaned in even further towards the porcelain skinned boy.

Kurt frowned back at him in slight annoyance. "Nothing, Blaine. Why do you keep on asking me that?"

"...Because you've been acting a little weird for the past few days, ever since our usual Monday Warbler meeting when we began planning for the Gap Attack."

If he hadn't been focusing entirely on Kurt then he would have completely missed the brief flicker of hesitation and anxiety that crossed his face. And though he was greatly saddened by the confirmation that Kurt was indeed holding something back from him, he perked up slightly at the fact that he seemed to be getting somewhere.

"That's it, isn't it? Something happened at the Warbler meeting, didn't it?"

Kurt sighed. "Blaine, I told you, nothing is wro-"

"Is it the performance?" Blaine cut him off, earning himself a slight glare. "The song? Do you not like the song? Or is it the fact that we have to perform in our uniforms, because I really think it would be pushing Wes if we asked to go casual to the Gap-"

"Blaine!" Kurt burst out across the soloist's rambling. The librarian shushed them from her desk as she eyed them with disproval in her beady eyes. Both boys grimaced but lowered their tones.

"Blaine, I'm fine. Nothing is wrong so stop assuming there is and stop asking me if I am okay!"

"But..." Blaine started again with a frown before a sudden thought occurred to him.

'_Oh! Of course! My god, how could I have been so insensitive! No wonder he's been a little down lately. Why didn't I see it before?_'

"Oh, Kurt," Blaine whispered delicately as he stretched his arm across the table and grasped one of Kurt's incredibly soft hands in his own and squeezed gently. Kurt twitched back slightly and looked at Blaine strangely.

"What?" he asked in a cautious tone, almost worried about the sudden change in Blaine's approach.

"I'm so sorry, it didn't occur to me to think about how you'd be feeling, especially with what's coming up..."

He watched as Kurt's eyes lit up slightly despite the confused expression still on his face and- confident that he was on the right track- he continued, once again cutting Kurt off as he opened his mouth.

"...But it's okay, Kurt. Plenty of people are single on Valentine's Day, people even celebrate that fact! It's nothing to be ashamed of or disheartened about. And don't worry, you'll find someone. You just need to put yourself out there like I have and wait for that special someone to find you. It'll happen; you have the rest of your life to find them and I'm sure you'll find them soon! So don't be sad, okay?" Blaine used all of charismatic nature to try and reassure his friend as much as he could. Everything he said was true and he just wanted Kurt to feel and know that there was nothing to be embarrassed of in being alone on Valentine's Day- it was not the end of the world. Besides, hadn't Kurt been the one to basically say that Valentine's Day was nothing more than a commercialised holiday that prayed on the hopes of the desperate and hopeless romantics?

There was absolute silence between the two of them as they looked at one another- Kurt gaping like a goldfish and Blaine smiling in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

Then, suddenly, Kurt snatched his hand back from Blaine's as though he had been electrocuted and leapt to his feet. He glared venomously at the shorter boy as he hurriedly grabbed his textbooks and notepads and stuffed them angrily in his bag.

"_You are unbelievable!" _he hissed furiously at his friend. "Un-freaking-believable! I mean, how dare you! You... you _patronising_...you..." Kurt seemed so beyond words it frightened Blaine almost as much as the red hue that rose up his normally pale face in pure fury did. The lead's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concern as he winced away from his friend.

"Kurt, w-what did I do?" he cursed himself inwardly for stuttering slightly but he couldn't help himself- he had never seen Kurt so fuming! What had he done or said to provoke this sort of reaction?

Something in what he said caused another reaction in Kurt (though what he had yet again done, he had no idea) as the countertenor finished packing his now-messy bag and merely stood over him, a very blank look on his face.

Again there was silence but this time it was heavy, uncomfortable, enough to have Blaine fidgeting in his seat as Kurt watched him with emotionless eyes that looked slightly wetter than usual. The lead singer felt like he was being judged, being searched for something and his stomach dropped as Kurt's demeanour seemed to slump a bit more. Something told Blaine that he had just failed some unknown test.

"You don't get it, do you?" Kurt finally whispered rhetorically. His voice was as blank as his face though it cracked a little on the last two words. "You honestly don't get it."

What didn't he get? Blaine had no clue as to what Kurt was stating, or how they had gotten to this point actually. He had just been trying to find out why his best friend was so sad and to try and reassure him... he didn't quite know what he had done to make Kurt react like this. He also didn't know how to fix it either.

"Kurt, I-"

"See you later, Blaine." Kurt spoke seemingly out of reflex as he lifted the strap of his bag onto his shoulder and rushed out of the library. Blaine let out a noise of protest and tried to leap to his feet to follow him. However, he somehow managed to get his leg tangled in his own bag and nearly fell as he watched his friend disappear out of the library door.

"Kurt!"

"Mr Anderson! If you cannot be quiet then you will be forced to leave!" The librarian seemed to have had enough and stormed over to him. He ignored her as she began to lecture him on proper library etiquette, just as he ignored the stares of the other students in the room. All he could do was stand there and gawk at the doors, wondering what on earth he had done.

**-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-**

Blaine sighed heavily as he walked through Dalton towards the dorms in a manner that was decidedly the opposite of the eager way he had been travelling the halls earlier. He raised his free hand to run it through his hair, grimacing as it soon became coated in gel. After wiping his hand on his pants he looked down at his phone that was clenched tightly in his right hand.

_No new messages._

Sighing once again he unlocked it and sent another text, this time to two different people.

**Hey, have you seen Kurt? – B**

He only had to wait a few moments before his phone buzzed in his hand. He had received two texts though neither was from the person he most wanted to hear from at the moment.

**Sorry B, haven't seen him since Warbler practice earlier. –D**

**Thought he would have been with you. Has something happened? – W**

**Thanks anyway David. Can you tell him I'm looking for him if you see him? –B**

**I don't even know what went on, Wes. Let me know if you see him. –B**

By this point Blaine had reached his dorm and he didn't seem to have the energy to do more than fling his school bag in a corner, flop himself face down on his bed and drop his phone on his nightstand. Letting out a groan of frustration he burrowed his face further into his pillow and took in a deep breath.

Kurt wasn't replying to any of his texts and when Blaine had checked the dorm room his friend shared with David he had found it completely empty. His best friend had walked away from him angrily and now he seemed to have wandered off somewhere. Blaine hated how the worry and guilt churned in his stomach.

But what exactly was he feeling guilty for?

Obviously he was aware that something in his words or actions had greatly upset Kurt, but what that thing was exactly seemed to elude Blaine's knowledge. What did he do?

Was it what he said? Did he actually come off as- what was it Kurt had said? - patronising? He truly hoped that he didn't because that really was not his intention. He had just wanted to comfort his friend.

And that was another thing, wasn't it. Did Kurt really need comforting? Had Blaine gotten the whole situation wrong and made judgements about why Kurt was feeling down? But if Kurt wasn't upset at the possibility of being single on Valentine's Day, then why did he get all tense whenever the topic came up? Why did he seem so sad whenever the Gap Attack or February 14th was brought up?

Blaine's never ending questions were interrupted by a beeping coming from the phone that sat on his nightstand. Jolting up from his slump the soloist practically leapt towards the mobile and almost fell off his bed in the meantime. Ignoring the way his heart hammered in his chest half from anticipation and half from the fright he had just received, Blaine eagerly unlocked his phone and opened up the new text message.

**Gone home. See you tomorrow. - K**

Blaine stared.

How could 5 seemingly normal words make your stomach drop so far it seemed to migrate to China? The text seemed innocent enough but it wasn't. It wasn't a Kurt Hummel text, the likes of which were normally filled with emoticons, exclamations and anything else other than the two clipped sentences that were currently in front of him.

'_Kurt really must be angry at me._'

Briefly shaking off his self pity, Blaine hurriedly text him back.

**Oh, okay. Say hi to your family for me and drive safe. I'll see you tomorrow. – B**

He didn't receive a reply.

Now Blaine felt more terrible and bewildered than ever. Sure, Kurt had said he was going home this weekend, but today was Thursday and Kurt had lessons tomorrow. Did he want to get away from Blaine so badly that he'd rather be forced to drive 2 hours back to Dalton in the early morning than see him?

Sighing yet again he swallowed against the lump that had formed in his throat and tried his best to ignore the guilt that clawed his insides.

**Kurt's gone home. – B**

**What? It's Thursday! He'll be back for rehearsal tomorrow though, won't he? – W**

**Seriously? Damn, B, what did you do? – D**

Blaine couldn't help the small smile at Wes' concern for the possibility of Kurt missing a Warblers meeting.

**Yeah, he said he'd be back tomorrow. – B**

David's question wasn't as easy to answer, however.

**I don't even really know. I think it might have been something I said... he seemed really angry when he stormed out of the library earlier. – B**

**Wait- Kurt stormed out of the library? Have you two had an argument or something? Oh, and Wes says he best had be back and that you're an idiot. – D**

That made Blaine frown.

**Should have known you two were together. And why do you assume that I'm the one who caused something? – B**

**Well... did you? – D & W**

**Yes... no... I don't know! We were talking in the library when he just kinda got up and walked off. Next thing I know he's gone back to Lima for the night... – B**

**Well you must have done something. Listen, we're on our way back from the cafeteria, you want us to stop by so you can tell us all about it? – D & W**

Blaine ran a hand over his face. As much as he wanted his friends to help him figure out what had happened, he knew that he needed to sort himself out and distract himself from the migraine he was beginning to get from it all.

**Maybe come by later. I think I'm just going to try and get some work done. – B**

He put his phone down after that, not even bothering to look at the reply he got off the two boys. He stretched his arms above his head and rolled his neck, grimacing slightly at the cracking of his shoulder joints before he got up and grabbed his school bag. He began pulling out various books and spreading them across the comforter on his bed.

"I swear Mrs Fallows set us something for English..." he muttered to himself as he pulled out his notebook and began thumbing through it to find the page he had written his homework from today on.

It soon became apparent to him, however, that the notebook in his hands was not actually his.

Frowning, he paused at a page to read the neat and precise handwriting that marked the pages. This was Kurt's.

'_He must have left it in the library earlier and I picked it up.' _He thought to himself as he started to read the words the countertenor had written.

Flicking through the pages with interest he couldn't help but smile at some of the things he saw. In between reminders for school and the beginnings of essays, Kurt seemed to use most of the paper in the book to write down song lyrics here and there and doodle some sort of clothing designs in the corners.

Chuckling to himself at a surprisingly graphic drawing of Wes being hit over the head with his own gavel, Blaine turned another page.

And suddenly it was like there was no air.

'_BLAINE + KURT_'

Standing out from the page like a bright neon side, written in Kurt's handwriting, were two words that caused a maelstrom in Blaine's head.

'_BLAINE + KURT_'

His wide eyes traced the outline of the carefully drawn out red heart before flitting back to the words.

'_BLAINE + KURT_'

It was like everything stopped. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't blink, he couldn't comprehend what his eyes were seeing. His mind whirled and thoughts oozed together into an impossible mess. He was completely incoherent except for one word that a miniscule part of him thought was highly appropriate given the situation.

"... shit..."

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_Author's Note: Any thoughts?_

_Hopefully I have made that somehow believable... I know there wasn't a huge amount of a reaction towards the end there, but that will be coming in the next chapter._

_To be perfectly honest, I have only the vaguest idea where this is going. Any suggestions?_

_Reviews would be lovely- they'll let me know if I should continue or not! ;)_

_Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Hello again!_

_Well, obviously some people think that this story is interesting enough to read and add to their alerts! Thank you so much to all who have reviewed, story alerted or story favourited! You are all officially awesome! And I do apologise profusely for taking so long! I've started my new job at my local hospital and that means I am working all sorts of hours and pretty much falling to sleep when I get home. I have had no time for anything other than work and sleep!_

_I've been doing some searching on to see if I can find any other fics that are like this and I am coming up empty really... Though I did find a one shot chapter in _foraworldundeserving'_s _"Kiss" _fic that basically had Blaine finding the notebook (I think it was chapter 30 if any of you are interested!) If you find something similar to this would you please let me know, I'm quite curious? I promise I'm not trying to steal ideas or anything!_

_Oh, something I should let you know- in this story Blaine is going to be in the same year as Kurt. It seriously bugged me when they made him a year younger in the third series. Besides, I'm sure Blaine has been referred to as a junior in the second season..._

_**WARNING: this chapter contains some swearing.**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with glee. That select privilege belongs to those at FOX and the fabulous RIB._

_P.S- Don't hate Blaine towards the end... we all know how oblivious he can be, even when things are right in his face! I have you all worried now, don't I? It's nothing too bad, he just... well, I'll just let you read..._

**-/-/-/-/-GLEE-/-/-/-/-**

A small thump seemed to echo around the dorm room as Blaine's numb fingers closed the notebook that lay in his lap. His eyes did not move from the object as though it might decide to bite him if he looked away for even a second.

However, the book may have been closed but that didn't mean that Blaine could forget what had been written inside of it.

The words seemed to have been seared into his brain. He could clearly picture each individual letter, each curve of the red heart.

'_BLAINE + KURT_'.

His breathing hitched for a moment before speeding up. His heart was beating frantically in his chest. A blush slowly rose on his face though whether it was from his own mortification or a second hand emotion that his friend would be feeling if he ever knew Blaine had seen...

…Had seen the doodle Kurt had drawn in his own notebook about himself and Blaine.

'_BLAINE + KURT_'.

_Kurt_ had written that. _Kurt_ had drawn that. _Kurt_. Blaine's best friend. _Kurt_.

The curly haired Warbler really had no idea what to think...

"Honey, we're home!" Wes shouted as he burst into the room, David following a split second later. Blaine jumped as the door slammed against the wall, his gaze finally being teared away from the notebook as his eyes landed on his friends.

Wes and David had moved into the room and dropped down onto Wes' bed. Their arms were filled with chocolate bars and bags of chips that they had somehow managed to get from the kitchen staff. The grins that stretched their faces slowly dimmed as they took in the glazed look in Blaine's eyes and the somewhat blank look on his face.

"Blaine? You okay there?" David asked, concerned. Blaine's eyes seemed to focus a little on the other two boys as his mouth opened. The council members waited patiently as Blaine's mouth opened and closed several times, choked noises being the only things that seemed to want to escape his throat.

After a few minutes of waiting, Wes decided to try and help the situation along.

"Is it about Kurt and why he left?" he cautiously asked.

Blaine hesitated briefly before nodding. Wes and David waited yet again, but this time Blaine didn't even seem to attempt to speak up.

David sighed, "Blaine, if you don't tell us what went on and why Kurt left, then we can't help you figure out what you did and how you can fix the sit-"

"Does Kurt have a crush on me?"

The words tumbled out of the lead singer's mouth without his permission. As soon as he realised what he had just said, his cheeks flamed with heat and his mouth closed with a snap. His eyes flickered down to look at the book in his lap before they rose again to stare at his friends.

David's mouth still hung open from being interrupted while Wes' eyebrows seemed to have disappeared into his hairline. The two boys blinked a few times as they tried to process the question. Once they had determined that yes, Blaine actually had asked that, they turned slightly to look at one another, indecision in their eyes.

Blaine did not miss that look in his unrelenting gaze. His mind had already concluded what their hesitance meant but that did not stop the "Please?" that croaked out of his throat. He shifted slightly in his seat, restless with the information that was being thrown into his mind and the bizarrely warm feeling that was slowly spreading through his stomach. What was that?

The two Warblers shared one last short look before they turned back to the smaller boy, their expressions wary.

David coughed nervously.

"Er, yeah. Yeah, he does."

Wes closed his eyes briefly as he let out a sigh; trust David to be _so _articulate at a moment like this. Though, to be fair, Wes probably wouldn't have done much better than that.

It was like Blaine had been punch with an iron fist; all of the air seemed to once again rush from his lungs as he slumped forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees, his face in his hands and the notebook tucked into his stomach.

Wes and David could do nothing but watch Blaine struggle to breath. They both stayed quiet knowing that their friend needed a moment to collect himself. Neither boy quite knew what was going on- they had had no idea that Blaine would ask them what he did and they were unsure what made him ask it, or if that question had something to do with Kurt's sudden one night disappearing act. But what they did know was that it was best to wait for Blaine to carry on the conversation, if he wanted to at all. Both of them had found out in the past that it was never a good idea to make Blaine talk about something he didn't want to; their experiences from when the smaller boy had first transferred was enough for them to remember that particular lesson.

Blaine blew out a big gust of air before swallowing another lungful of oxygen. With a barely-heard groan he sat up and ran his hands down his face.

"Shit."

David raised one eyebrow and turned to share an incredulous look with Wes. Well, that was unexpected.

One thing the boys of Dalton had quickly learned about the soloist was this: the only time Blaine Anderson swore was when something was seriously, _seriously_ wrong. At any other time he was the same old dapper Blaine with impeccable manners that could charm just about anyone. It was like a sign that the end was coming if a profanity escaped his lips and the Warblers generally took such an occasion as a danger sign.

The fact that he was saying such words now only caused the two Warblers to worry even more. They shared a few more glances but neither of them could quite figure out what to say or how to comfort their obviously distressed friend. They felt like they had become silent witnesses to some sort of mental breakdown.

As his friends tried to find a way to comfort him, Blaine was struggling to accept the fact that his best friend apparently had a crush on him.

When on earth had _that _happened? _How _had it happened? Blaine had thought that Kurt had only ever seen him as the mentor he had always tried to be. Ever since he had seen Kurt on that staircase and had heard what was going on with the boy at McKinley, the curly haired Warbler had tried his best to be the friend and protector that Kurt had so obviously needed. Nobody else had been there for him like that in his life- except, of course, for Burt Hummel- so Blaine had taken up that role. And he had never regretted it, not even when Karofsky had shoved him into the fencing, or when he had driven to and from Lima practically every day, or when Kurt had called him at almost two in the morning in tears. How could he regret it when he had gained his closest friend out of it?

Sure, Wes, David, Nick, Jeff and the rest of the Warblers were brilliant and he couldn't ask for better people to consider his family, but with Kurt everything just seemed so effortless. He could talk to Kurt about things he felt he couldn't mention to the other guys and he knew that Kurt never judged him (well, except for when it came to his extensive bow tie collection. Kurt claimed that Blaine must have some kind mental problem that had led to his obsession. The fashionista had not been impressed when Blaine had pointed out the numerous scarves he himself owned, however…).

But now it appeared that Kurt had been wanting more from their friendship, wanting more from him. And Blaine had absolutely no idea how to deal with it. Don't get him wrong, it wasn't like he didn't think Kurt was attractive. His heart had almost stopped when he had turned around on that staircase and seen the beyond gorgeous being that was Kurt Hummel. With his porcelain skin that almost glowed, his striking glasz eyes, and stunningly sculpted face, Blaine had had to give himself quite a few mental shakes before giving his hand to the beautiful boy and introducing himself. Even a blind man could tell that Kurt was uniquely handsome.

It wasn't even just his looks that made him attractive though- Kurt could sing like an angel one moment and defend someone to the high heavens the next. He was fiercely loyal, cutting with his words when needed, yet brilliantly smart and he was genuinely one of the nicest people Blaine had ever had the fortune of meeting. He almost ached from how lovely Kurt was sometimes and he couldn't help admire him sometimes as his stomach fluttered. Kurt was everything he wanted to be and wished he was in life. He could never match up to that.

Yes, Blaine had known how to help Kurt in the past. He had known what to say, what to do and he had learned how to deal with all things Kurt. But this…. The crush his best friend apparently had on him… he had no idea what to do.

Blaine wanted to growl in frustration. _How had this happened? _How on earth had he not noticed it? How had Wes and David noticed it and not him?

Blaine's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes at the two opposite him.

"_Why didn't you tell me?_"

The slightly hysterical and accusing tone of their friend's voice caused the two Warblers to wince slightly. After minutes of silence they had lost all hope of Blaine ever speaking about it at all. The two boys had no idea what to say and the sudden change in their friend- and the glare he was drilling into their heads- scared them slightly. Not that they'd ever admit to such a thing, of course…

"W-what do you mean?" Wes spoke up. His throat was dry with nerves as Blaine's stare froze, yet scorched them further.

"Why didn't you tell me that Kurt had a crush on me? I mean, you obviously both knew about it!"

"We all thought you knew!" David hurried out. "With the way you act with one ano-"

"'_We all_'? What do you mean 'we all thought'?" Blaine cut across him. His face had dropped with disbelief after he had visibly blanched. David winced.

"Well…. Everyone, really." The darker Warbler scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Blaine continued to stare at him as the horrible truth settled in his brain.

'_Dear lord, everyone knew about this except for me…_'

The soloist couldn't help but voice his confusion. "How did you all know about this but not me?"

Wes almost snorted. As much as he loved Blaine, the boy was absolutely clueless. Anyone with a brain could see how Kurt's heart shone in his eyes whenever Blaine was around. And lesser people also saw how Blaine obviously felt the exact same way, despite the fact that the boy didn't seem to notice it himself.

"Look, Blaine," he started in a slightly frustrated tone. "everyone knows about this because you two are always flirting with one another-"

"We do not!" Blaine squeaked as his cheeks once again flushed bright red. David jumped in at this point.

"-Singing lovey-dovey songs to one another-"

"We appreciate the classics-" Blaine protested.

"-Holding hands down the corridors-" Wes drawled.

"Friends can hold hands!" The blush was getting brighter.

"-Whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears-" David's lips were starting to twitch as he watched the boy across from him become more flustered by the moment.

"They are just jokes!"

"-Going on coffee dates-"

"They are not dates!" Blaine practically shouted as he leaped to his feet. Wes and David tried their best to keep their faces neutral as Blaine towered over them (as much as the small boy could, anyway).

Blaine opened and closed his mouth a few times yet again but further denials of his and Kurt's so called behaviour seemed to get lost on their way to his mouth. The two on the opposite bed waited again for a few minutes but Blaine seemed content to just glower at them. Wes sighed.

"Listen, this is getting us nowhere. Yes, Kurt has a crush on you and yes, everybody but you knew about it. Now we have that sorted out, why don't you tell us how you found out about Kurt's crush and what you did that made him storm off home?"

Blaine sat down slowly as he let out a deep breath. He couldn't tell Wes and David about the notebook. No way. That was something incredibly private and he knew that Kurt would never forgive him if he showed off the drawing. At the same time, however, he also knew that David and Wes would not be satisfied until he told them how. They would not let him just brush it off.

"Guys, I found out by seeing something Kurt had written. I'm not going to show you," he hastily added as both boys opened their mouths. "All you need to know is that I found out and that is that."

Wes and David shared a look and silently agreed not to ask any more about it. They did however decide that Blaine was not going to get away with avoiding what had happened earlier with Kurt.

"Blaine. Why did Kurt go home?"

Blaine grimaced at that question. As he had been talking with his friends some realisations had slowly been sinking into his brain.

Kurt's behaviour earlier in the library made sense now. Now that he knew Kurt liked him, the reason he had seemed so sad when Blaine was talking on and on about the Gap Attack seemed so obvious; Blaine just hadn't known enough to recognise it. And that was something that was beginning to niggle in Blaine's brain.

Kurt had simply sat there and denied the fact that he was upset even though his crush was flaunting the fact that he liked someone else in his face. Kurt was a good enough friend to stand behind Blaine in rehearsals as he tried to perfect the love song he wanted to sing to another boy. Kurt had simply encouraged him when Blaine had started to freak out and doubt himself. Kurt had stood beside him the entire time, all the while having his heart broken.

It made Blaine want to cry. He had unknowingly been hurting his best friend deeply with this whole Valentine's Day plan. And Kurt had done nothing about it but be supportive the entire time.

"Blaine." Wes' gently prodding voice broke him out of his revere. He looked up at his friends and found them patiently waiting for him to explain. Well David was being patient- Wes had his eyebrow raised and his arms folded. Blaine half expected him to whip out his gavel and call him to order.

Running his hands through his hair and completely disregarding the fact that his fingers were now coated in gel, Blaine sat back against the wall and decided he best get this all over with.

"I went to the library earlier to study and found Kurt at one of the tables. He looked a bit off and strained when he said hello to me but I decided not to ask about it. You know how he can get sometimes when he doesn't want to talk about something."

"What, you mean how he acts exactly like you do in the same situation?" Blaine smirked at him. Wes's lips twitched and Blaine was back to scowling at the older boy.

"Shut up." David simply winked at him and Blaine rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Kurt said that I looked cheerful and I told him it was because I could not wait until Monday…"

Wes winced slightly and Blaine nodded his head at him.

"Yeah. I know. It gets worse though. I just couldn't stop going on and on about how excited I was, and how great it was all going to go and how _wonderful _you all were for helping me with it all."

David grimaced sympathetically. "Poor Kurt."

"I feel so bad about it now. There I was, practically rubbing his face in it! And he just sat there and listened to me drone on and on about how amazing it is going to be singing to this guy. With his help!"

"You didn't know though, Blaine," Wes reminded him in a soft voice.

"Still!" Blaine practically exploded from his perch on his bed as he leapt up and began to pace frantically. David and Wes watched with concern as Blaine dragged his hands through his haor yet again and looked like he was gping to burst into tears.

"Blaine-" David started to talk but Blaine simply continued to rant as though he had never heard him.

"I saw the look on his face as I was talking! He looked so devastated and upset and it was all my fault! But I didn't know why! I didn't know that I was basically stabbing him with each word about the Gap Attack! I wouldn't blame him if he never spoke to me again! And when I asked why he was upset and why he had been acting funny all week, he just tried to act like nothing was wrong! He tried to deny it and then all I could do was tell him that everything was going to be okay, that it was perfectly normally for guys to be alone on Valentine's Day and that if he just followed my example, he would find someone and that it would all work out, he wasn't going… wasn't going to…. Be a-alone forever…."

Blaine stopped in his tracks as it suddenly hit him exactly what he had done to cause Kurt to run back to Lima. He felt like someone had just dropped the whole of Dalton on top of his gelled head. His mouth dropped at his own stupidity and his eyes widened comically. He slowly turned back to his friends.

There was silence. Blaine couldn't even blink. Wes and David simply gaped up at him incredulously. None of them moved.

Then David threw his head backwards and let out a great roar of laughter as Wes slumped forwards and buried his head in his hands.

"Holy shit Blaine, you didn't!" The Asian Warbler groaned. David had fallen back and was practically convulsing on the bed as tears streamed down his face while he cackled. Blaine looked like he was about to throw up.

"D-dude!" David managed to get out through great gasps of air. "You fucking moron!"

"Oh my god," Blaine mumbled to himself as he sank back down and mirrored Wes' position. The head Warbler groaned again before lifting his head and staring disbelievingly at his friend.

"Blaine, you….. you…. Dear god, I hope he slapped the shit out of you."

David sniggered at that as he tried to regain his composure. "No wonder he left!"

"Blaine, how could you do that?" Wes asked him in a high pitched voice. He was still staring at Blaine as though he had never seen him in his life.

"I didn't know…" was all Blaine could come up with. He was still appalled by what he had done and wasn't able to comprehend much else.

"So? Do you have any idea how patronising that would have been even if Kurt didn't love you?" Blaine winced at that.

"Kurt doesn't love me…" he half-heartedly pointed out. David laughed again as Wes face palmed.

"Blaine that is so not the point! You absolute-"

The beginning of his rant was cut off by the sound of Blaine's cell phone buzzing on his night stand. Greatfull for the distraction and opportunity to delay Wes' rampage for a few moments, he quickly unlocked it, half hoping the text was from Kurt.

**Hey, we still on for tonight?**

No, it wasn't Kurt.

**Yeah, I'm just setting off now. See you soon :) – B**

"I don't blame Kurt for leaving after what you said to him! I mean, _Jesus Christ_ Blaine- wait, where are you going?" This time Wes cut his own rant off as he watched Blaine stand up from his bed and grab his jacket and scarf.

"Meeting Jeremiah for coffee." He answered as though it was obvious as he pocketed his phone and grabbed his car keys.

David immediately sobered up. "Dude, are you serious?"

"Yeah. We arranged it earlier and I'm going to be late if I don't leave now."

Wes and David once more gaped at their friend. Blaine ignored their expressions and reached to open the door.

"Blaine!" Wes shouted out in shock. Blaine paused in the open door, one triangular eyebrow raised. "You're seriously going to meet him now? After everything we have_ just_ talked about?"

Blaine sighed. "We've been through this, yes I am going to go and meet Jeremiah."

"But what about Kurt-" David began in a shocked voice only to be cut off by Blaine.

"Look, what do you want me to do? Kurt isn't here and he probably won't answer his phone so I can't apologise. And even if I could, then what? Kurt has feelings for me, but I like Jeremiah. I can't do anything about it."

"Do you seriously think we don't know how you feel about-" Wes was the one to try and speak.

"I'm going out. See you later." Blaine hurriedly stated in a blank voice. He couldn't even look them in the eyes as he stepped out of the door and shut it behind him.

Wes and David sat in silence as they listened to the sound of Blaine's footsteps disappear down the hallway. Neither of them moved as they tried to process what had just happened.

Eventually David decided to sum up both of their thoughts out loud.

"What a fucking idiot."

**-/-/-/-/-GLEE-/-/-/-/-**

_Author's Note 2:_

_Well, what did you think?_

_Sorry again about the long wait! I shall try to be quicker next time!_

_Any thoughts or ideas? Review? Pretty please?_


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry about the long wait! See the author's note at the bottom of the chapter. On with the story!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with the world of glee! That sole privilege belongs to RIB. All I own is a work uniform that I accidentally dyed yellow…._

_-/-/-/-/-GLEE-/-/-/-/-_

Blaine walked down the hallway in some sort of daze. He had had the brief thought that talking about the whole situation with someone would have cleared his head a little, except all it had done in reality was to confuse him more. His head was spinning and all he could think about was that damn doodle and the disapproving looks David and Wes had shot him as he shut his dorm door behind him. The only thing keeping him grounded was the phone he kept clutched in his right hand as he strode quickly to his car.

**Hurry, your coffee is getting cold! :) – J**

His lips quirked up humourlessly at the text. Despite the fact that they had been on several coffee dates now, Jeremiah always seemed to order Blaine the wrong kind of coffee- and each time they went out, he got him a different order. It wasn't necessarily a deal breaker and Blaine was never one to pass up coffee, but it was one of those details that Blaine had always thought would be important. He had always daydreamt about being able to visit the Lima Bean with his boyfriend and have him place his order before he could even think of opening his mouth. It was the silly romantic in him; he knew it was ridiculous. But the thought that someone could care for and about him so much as to remember such a small thing warmed his soul.

'_Kurt knew what my coffee order was after just a few hours-'_

Still, Jeremiah tried. At least he was gentlemanly enough to get him a coffee. It didn't matter if it was the wrong kind; it's the thought that counts. And he was clearly trying.

**We wouldn't want that now, would we? ;O – B**

**No, but I'm sure we'd find some way to warm it up ;) – J**

This time Blaine's smile stretched across his face. See, this is what he wanted. To be able to send flirty texts to and from a nice guy who genuinely seemed to be into him. He loved the fluttering feeling he got in his stomach whenever he received a text from Ku-

Jeremiah. Blaine shook his head slightly.

He loved it when his heart beat faster in his chest when he saw the cute mop of blonde hair. He preened under the somewhat- secret looks the junior manager gave him that were filled with attraction. They had a great time together and Blaine honestly looked forward to each time he saw the older boy. What was wrong with that?

Nothing, Blaine decided as he slammed his car door shut and turned on the ignition. Nothing was wrong with feeling good about spending time with a cute guy. Wes and David could keep their thoughts and bad looks to themselves. So what if Kurt liked him? Was he supposed to react straight away to it? Drop everything and start to woo a boy who was just his best friend? He had no idea how to deal with the whole Kurt thing anyway. Plus, his friend had gone back home for the night so there wasn't much he could do.

Pulling out of his driving space, Blaine shook his head once more, a few curls breaking free of the gel. He can't think of the mess with Kurt now. All he had to do was to meet Jeremiah and have a good time. Tomorrow was a new day, but tonight he was just going to enjoy himself.

And with that new conviction, Blaine pushed all thoughts of Kurt out of his head, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling that was growing in his stomach.

_-/-/-/-/-GLEE-/-/-/-/-_

"Okay Wevid, this best be good." Nick's grumpy warning was just audible above the noises coming from the TV screen. The brunette Warbler flopped down on Blaine's empty bed as Jeff leaned against the open doorway. His face held a smirk as he rolled his eyes at Nick.

Wes, who had been lounging on his own bed with David, paused the DVD that was running and sat up. Next to him, David placed down his redvines. Jeff raised an eyebrow.

"Must be serious." He commented offhandedly. The concern that narrowed his eyes was the only indication that he wasn't feeling as unruffled as he showed. After all, for David to step away from his treats and for Wes to not bite their heads off for calling them 'Wevid' something serious must have happened.

Wes, as ever efficient and business like, got straight to the point. "Blaine found out that Kurt has a crush on him."

Nick raised his eyebrows and Jeff straightened up.

"Seriously?" Nick asked incredulously. At the pair of nods he blinked, surprised. "How?"

"We don't know, he never told us." David shrugged. He highly doubted that Kurt was the one to actually tell Blaine how he felt especially after what had happened in the library. Plus both of the Warbler boys were stupidly oblivious, Blaine more so than Kurt. To be honest the four friends didn't understand how their feelings for each other had not been completely obvious to the other.

"How did Blaine react?" Jeff piped up from near the door. A small sense of foreboding had settled in his stomach. Wes snorted.

"Exactly as you're thinking he did. Blamed us for not telling him, freaked out over how much of an idiot he is for what he said to Kurt earlier on and then left to go on a date with Jeremiah."

"Woah, hold up," Nick leaned forward in his seat. "Blaine went out on a date moments after finding out that his best friend not-so-secretly pines for him?"

Wevid nodded their heads together. Nick and Jeff shared a raised eyebrow. Sure, Blaine never had a clue, but they would have thought he would at least cancel his coffee date after finding out about Kurt.

The boys sat in silence for several moments as they marvelled in their friend's idiocy. Soon Jeff's brow furrowed as he shut the dorm room door and went to sit by Nick.

"Hang on, you said Blaine freaked out over something he said earlier. What happened?" Nick looked up at that question.

"Does what he said have something to do with why Kurt left for the night?"

Wes and David shared a silent look as they tried to decide how to tell the two boys. After a brief period of raised eyebrows and pointed looks, David leaned back and picked up his redvines again as he gestured for Wes to go ahead. Wes glared at the dark skinned boy before telling the other two what Blaine had mentioned of what went down in the library.

By the end of the explanation the younger Warbler's mouths had long since dropped.

"He didn't!" Jeff exclaimed in horror. No wonder Kurt had gone home! He had been rejected in the most condescending way by the guy he wanted nothing more than to be with. The worse thing was that said guy had had no clue what he was doing!

"He did." David grimaced.

"Poor Kurt," Nick shook his head slowly and rubbed at his forehead. "How's he going to act tomorrow do you think? Kurt, I mean, when he comes back to Dalton?"

"No idea. You know how Kurt can be sometimes." Wes flinched slightly as he remembered the glares Kurt had sent him on numerous occasions during a Warbler meeting. He was the only member to date that was capable of making Wes release them from rehearsal halfway through an intense session. The other Warblers were still in awe of this slightly terrifying talent.

"Yeah, but the whole thing is about Blaine..." Jeff pointed out uncertainly.

"Precisely. It's Blaine. Which means Kurt could either just brush it off and act all normal or-"

"- he could blow like a nuclear reactor." Nick finished David's sentence. Neither possibility settled well with the group of boys. It wouldn't be like Kurt to let someone get away with how Blaine had acted, and the thought of Kurt losing it was petrifying. None of them could decide which outcome would worry them more.

David sighed and viciously bit into one of his treats. "So what do we do?"

"Nothing we can do," Wes shrugged. "Blaine won't listen to us and Kurt doesn't know that Blaine knows and that we now know as well."

"Even though we already knew he wants Blaine to get inside his skin-tight jeans?" Jeff raised an eyebrow as he grinned. Nick wrinkled his nose.

"Did not need those images, Sterling." Jeff rolled his eyes in response.

"We'll just have to play it by ear. Try and prevent Blaine from being a complete moron or something." Wes carried on as though neither of the boys had spoken. David, Nick and Jeff reluctantly agreed.

None of them liked the situation and hated the fact that they couldn't do anything even more. They just hoped that Blaine would sort the whole thing out quickly and painlessly.

_-/-/-/-/-GLEE-/-/-/-/-_

By the time Blaine pulled up outside the Lima Bean his head was clearer. The weird feeling in the pit of his stomach had diminished somewhat as butterflies took its place. Looking out of the windscreen of his car he could see Jeremiah sat at a table just to the side of the windows- a place he always seemed to pick- facing the door, probably waiting for Blaine to come in. With one last deep breath, the Warbler Lead got out of his car and set across the parking lot.

The welcome bell rang over head and though he knew where his date would be he still had his eyes scan the Lima Bean. Jeremiah spotted him and leaned back in his chair with a relieved expression. His hand rose slightly in greeting and Blaine made his way over.

"Sorry I'm late, the guys don't know when to shut up," Blaine excused himself. An almost nervous smile formed on his face as his brain reminded him exactly why his friends wouldn't stay quiet.

"No problem," Jeremiah grinned back as he leaned further backwards. "I picked you up a coffee."

It was the same kind of greeting every time. Blaine would walk in, sit down, and Jeremiah would point out that the second cup of coffee was for him. It was an obvious point and had become routine for them.

"Thanks," Blaine replied as he lifted the cup to his lips. He carefully held back his grimace as the sickly sweet taste hit the back of his throat. _'Do they even make coffee with honey...?'_

Ignoring the sudden urge to brush his teeth, the lead soloist started off the conversation by asking how Jeremiah's latest shift had gone on. As though this was the cue that the older boy was waiting for, Jeremiah became animated and launched into a tale of how his day had gone. This led to the pair of them moving on to talk about a new album one of them had heard and how it sounded so different from the artists' usual sound. The more they talked about music, the livelier Blaine became and the more Jeremiah's eyes seemed to dart about. Blaine ignored it the first few times but the more frequently it happened the more he began to worry.

"Hey, are you okay?" he eventually asked. Jeremiah's distant eyes snapped back to him, startled, and he plastered a fake smile on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I kind of zoned out there. What were you saying?" he shrugged it off. Blaine eyed him for a few moments before moving his hand slightly towards the one Jeremiah had left on the table. It twitched slightly but didn't move away so Blaine moved his own hand more.

"Are you su-"

"Jeremiah!"

Blaine's question was cut off and Jeremiah jumped violently in his seat at the noise. Blaine watched as the blonde teen yanked his hand off the table as though it had been burned and his face drained of colour. Turning slightly in his seat he saw a group of three guy's wave at the blonde across from him. The looks on their faces were puzzled as they took in the pair sat at the table and when Blaine looked back at Jeremiah, he could see a look of panic creeping into his eyes.

"Jeremiah-" Blaine once again tried to ask Jeremiah if he was okay and again the singer was interrupted.

"Uh, I'm just going to go and get another cup of coffee." Jeremiah announced in a slightly louder voice than usual. Before Blaine even had time to blink the Gap manager had practically leapt out of his chair and darted away to head off the group that had by now moved up to the counter.

Blaine's brow furrowed; what had that been all about? Sure, he had seen some of his friends come into the coffee shop and probably wanted to say a quick hello, but Jeremiah acted like he had been electrocuted. Shaking his head in bafflement, the Dalton boy picked up his coffee and took slow sips from the cup. The taste still left much to be desired but he needed the caffeine.

Without his date sat across from him as a distraction Blaine's thoughts travelled back to his countertenor friend.

He still did not know how to handle that mess. Of course his first step was to apologise profusely for what he had said in the library, but then what? He couldn't let Kurt know that he had found the notebook so that created the additional problem of getting the book back to his friend unnoticed. And what if Kurt did find out that he had seen the doodle? Would he be mortified and avoid Blaine? Or would he expect Blaine to do something about it, to either let him down gently or say that he liked Kurt the same way?

And that was the big question. _Did _Blaine feel the same way about Kurt?

The thought crept slowly to the forefront of his mind as his hand faltered on its grip on his coffee. The thing was that Blaine didn't know if he liked Kurt as more than his best friend. He had never thought about it. Yes, he found Kurt attractive and he loved everything about his friend's personality, but that didn't necessarily mean that he had a crush on him did it? Obviously David, Wes and the other Warblers were under the impression that their soloist returned their countertenor's feelings and if Blaine was completely honest with himself, he could picture how easily he possibly _could_ have a crush on Kurt but still.

He rubbed his hand over his jaw and pushed the thoughts back. The bottom line was that he simply didn't know and anyway, wasn't it a bit inappropriate to be thinking these things while he was on a date with a guy he was actually aware that he had feelings for? Speaking of said date, Blaine quickly scanned the Lima Bean for the familiar mop of Jeremiah's hair. He couldn't see any sign of him but a quick glance told Blaine that the manager's car was still in the parking lot. Frowning slightly he told himself that Jeremiah would be back soon. Deciding to take advantage of this fact, Blaine stood up and made his way towards the men's bathrooms.

Blaine was just about to turn round the corner to walk towards the bathrooms when he heard a slightly familiar voice.

"So what brings you here, Jer?"

It was the guy that had shouted Jeremiah's name a few minutes ago. Blaine hesitated; it was wrong to listen in on a person's conversation and that was made worse by the fact that it was his date's exchange he was listening to. But at the same time he found himself curious- Jeremiah's behaviour had been strange since before his friends walked in and maybe he could find out what was wrong.

His mind made up, Blaine stayed in his position just behind the wall and concentrated.

"To have some coffee, why else would I come into a _coffee shop?_" was Jeremiah's sarcastic reply. Blaine frowned at the slight waver in the blonde's tone.

"Well, yeah. But you blew us off 'cause you said you had to pick something up." The same voice as earlier spoke, sounding suspicious. Jeremiah laughed nervously.

"That's why I'm here, to pick something up." The waver had gotten worse.

"What, that boy you were sat with?" this time it was a new person speaking and Blaine's body stiffened immediately at the disdain that dripped from the words. The group of boys laughed.

Blaine stood up even straighter and held his breath. Surely these guys couldn't be friends of Jeremiah's, not if the underlining homophobia meant anything. The words that were being said could be taken jokingly and Blaine had had some of the Warblers say similar comments to him in the past but this was different. There was a malice laced in with the question, a mocking tone that Blaine was all too familiar with; it was the same tone that the bullies from his old school and the Sadie Hawkins had used. His body was tensed and wound up with slight fear as he tried to decide what to do. Should he walk round the corner and find a way to get Jeremiah away from the group, or should he go and get a member of staff to at least cause a distraction, if not an intervention?

However, before he could make up his mind Jeremiah seemed to have gained some composure and let out a dry snort before he answered.

"Him? He wishes. Nah, he knows my boss at the Gap; thought I'd see if he could put a good word in for me to get the promotion I'm after."

Blaine's breath hitched in his chest and he wobbled back a step. It was as though the blood had stopped flowing through his body, leaving him stiff and frozen as he tried to process the lie that he had just heard.

'_He doesn't mean it. He was probably just finding a way to get away from those assholes, making an excuse so they wouldn't try anything..._'

But no matter how hard his brain tried to deny the words, it couldn't ignore the confident way Jeremiah had said them; couldn't deny the scorn that resonated from the sentence.

He didn't understand, and yet at the same time everything was crystal clear. Jeremiah clearly wasn't out yet and he was prepared to make Blaine out as the eager gay boy who couldn't take a hint in order to put his 'friends' of the scent. Blaine felt sick at the fact that the man he had been so excited to see would dismiss the idea of being with him as nothing more than a leg up for his job. Not wanting to listen to another word, Blaine turned around and stumbled back towards the counter.

He shook slightly with a building anger and a hurt disbelief as he placed his elbows on the counter and his head in his hands. Trying to keep his mind blank he concentrated on simply breathing.

"You alright, kid?" a voice startled him out of his haze. He quickly snapped his head up to see the greying barrister that normally took his coffee order. Her eyes were kind and concerned and he swallowed thickly before answering.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine, thank you." He sent her an unconvincing smile and she gave a hesitant one back before moving away slightly to attend to a new customer. Blaine looked down again and picked up a napkin just for something to hold onto. He fingered the edges of it for a brief moment before an idea popped into his head. He looked back up and moved towards the till.

"Actually," he called out to the woman he had just brushed off, "do you possibly have a pen I could borrow?"

_-/-/-/-/-GLEE-/-/-/-/-_

Jeremiah let out a deep breath as he watched his friends walk out of the coffee shop; laughing and head back to their cars. That had undoubtedly been close.

He had panicked so much he thought his heart might have stopped. He'd specifically picked the Lima Bean to meet Blaine for coffee as he knew his friends didn't know of it. It just had to be his luck that they would discover it and walk in just before Blaine had grabbed his hand.

He rolled his shoulders back to try and relieve the new tension there and turned back to his table.

He froze.

Blaine wasn't there. His bag was gone, his coffee cup abandoned and his chair was empty. He quickly looked around the shop but didn't see the younger boy. Confused, he looked out of the display window to the parking lot.

Blaine's car had gone as well.

Puzzled, Jeremiah slowly wandered towards where his coat was draped over the back of his chair. While he was putting it on, his eye caught the sight of a napkin tucked just underneath his own coffee cup. He sat down slowly and picked it up, his shoulders slumping dejectedly and with a small amount of regret as he read it.

Running his hands harshly over his face, he shot out of his chair and headed towards the door, pulling his cell phone out as he did and leaving the written-on tissue on the table, face up with the words on display for anyone to see.

**Good luck with the promotion.**

**-Blaine Anderson.**

_-/-/-/-/-GLEE-/-/-/-/-_

"Headshot! Boom!"

"Wes, check the other window! No! Jeff, don't open that door!"

"Stupid crate, give me a gun, or a ray gun, or something! Not some knives!"

"Well done moron, now we're going to be overrun with them!"

Blaine walked into his dorm room to be greeted with the sight of four of his friends crammed onto Wes' bed. They all had looks of concentration on their faces as they smashed buttons on their controllers while playing one of the zombie levels on CoD: Black ops. Normally Blaine would clamber over them and steal one of their controllers but now he didn't have the energy. He stripped off his coat and blazer before walking sluggishly over to his own bed and flopping face down on it.

David gave him a quick glance before focusing his attention back onto the screen. "You okay B?"

Blaine let out a gusting sigh as he shoved his head more firmly into his pillow and tucked his arms into the sides of his face.

The screen in front of the boys went grey and the sound of groaning zombies filled the room as they lost their game but their attention was focused solely on their friend.

"Blaine? Are you okay?" David asked again. They watched as he shook his head into his pillow.

"Not really." He verbally replied. The foursome shared concerned looks but before any of them could try to get him to talk, a quick few buzzes filled the room.

Wes checked his phone and saw the others (except Blaine) do the same. The noise didn't seem to come from any of them and that was confirmed when the buzzing sounded once more, this time coming from the coat Blaine had slung over his desk chair.

"You going to grab that?" Nick asked the gelled boy. After he got no answer, the brunette rolled his eyes and walked over to the chair himself. Pulling the cell out, he glanced at the screen.

"It's a text from Jeremiah." This got the boy's attention and he tensed up.

Blaine turned his head to the side in order to look at his friend and his phone. He stared at them for a moment before briefly closing his eyes and letting out a sigh of annoyance. "What does it say?"

Now this had the four boys alarmed. Blaine never asked anyone to read out a text to him. In fact, he would have immediately leapt onto anybody that would so much as touch his phone. Well, everyone except Kurt, that is. Adding this to his morose behaviour, the group were beginning to feel very uneasy.

Nick cleared his throat awkwardly as he unlocked Blaine's phone and opened the message. His eyebrows furrowed and his mouth set in a thin line.

"It says _'I'm sorry Blaine, I didn't mean it how it sounded.'"_ He looked up at the soloist, his expression becoming angry. "What did he say to you, Blaine?"

Blaine sighed again and reached out for his phone. Nick handed it to him and then crossed his now free arms. Jeff eyed the brunette wearily and Wes and David watched as Blaine replied to the text. They were all quickly feeling their anger build as thoughts of what Jeremiah could have said to Blaine ran through their minds. Protectiveness washed through them as they waited for Blaine to speak.

Blaine finished sending the text and simply gave to phone back to Nick. Once it had been grabbed by the standing boy, Blaine gestured for him to read it.

"You want me to read what you put?" he asked incredulously. At Blaine's nod, he raised an eyebrow and huffed.

"What did Blaine put?" Jeff asked when Nick made no move to read it. Nick let out a sigh before looking down at the screen.

"He put '_like I said, good luck on the promotion. Maybe if I ever set foot in the GAP again you could tell me all about how you got it without my reference'_. What the fuck, Blaine?"

"Yeah, what the hell does that mean? Are you not going to see him again?" David burst out as he glared somewhat confusedly at Blaine.

"Did he do something to you?" Wes bit out.

Blaine sighed again (he seemed to be doing that a lot recently) and sat up. He grabbed his pillow and held it against his stomach before he began explaining.

"Some of Jeremiah's friends came into the Lima Bean and he seemed scared when he saw them. He went over to them and when I was on my way to the bathroom, I overheard him tell them that he was only having coffee with me in hopes that I would give him a good reference for his promotion at work."

"The fuck?" Nick shouted in shock. The others would have said similar thoughts if they could pick up their jaws. Blaine nodded and looked them each in the eye as he continued.

"That was after he implied that I wished I could have a chance with him, a seemingly _straight_ guy with homophobic friends."

"Say what? Who the hell does he think he is?" This time it was David that exploded as he shot out of his seat.

"So I take it he's with Aslan in the closet, then?" Jeff glared darkly.

Blaine snorted. "That's one way of putting it."

"Seriously? Who does he think he is?" David carried on ranting agitatedly. He had joined Nick on his feet and was pacing the small space between the beds. "Maybe we should pay him a visit at work? Show him exactly how much of an asshole we think he is?" The other guys began to nod their heads in agreement, angry on their friends behalf and eager to gain pay back. Blaine sighed.

"Guys, just leave it, okay? It doesn't matter."

Wes shot him an incredulous look. "Doesn't matter? Blaine, this guy said-"

"I know what he said, Wes." Blaine cut across him, suddenly aggravated. He pinched the bridge of his nose briefly before huffing out a breath of air and sending Wes an apologetic look. "Look, it was horrible what he did and said, and yes, I felt like absolute crap when it happened but..."

"But what?" Jeff asked quietly after Blaine went silent. Blaine stared off for a moment, gathering his thoughts, and then faced the guys again.

"I'm kind of glad, you know? It was always kind of strange when we were together. I mean, he would always make sure we were seated away from any windows; he would constantly look around at the people in the coffee shop whenever we were there; he'd make sure he didn't sit next to me, he'd go on and on about him and what he had done recently... and he always bought me the most awful cups of coffee. I mean come on- a medium drip? My order isn't that difficult to remember! And since when did they make coffee with _honey _anyway_? _I mean, seriously?" Okay, so maybe Blaine was more worked up about the mixed up coffee orders than he had previously admitted to even himself. The looks his fellow warblers were sending him, however, showed that they didn't quite get the relevance of the bad hot drinks. Blaine shook his head.

"And all I could think about as I drove back was that I really wished Kurt was here because he would understand what I'm rambling about, and he'd know how to make me feel better while making snarky comments about Jeremiah's clothes or something before he'd put on my favourite musical and we'd just watch it and sing and joke about..."

Wes, David, Nick and Jeff all resumed their previous positions on the former's bed, watching their friend carefully as he continued to ramble and seemingly fall apart. David and Wes shared a brief look; this was what they had kind of expected to happen when Blaine found about Kurt's crush on him. They had expected this long monologue about how wonderful Kurt was, just not quite how it would come about and what he would say. They- and the other two boys- couldn't help but smile slightly as Blaine described how Kurt would perfectly be able to cheer him up and help him pick himself back up after this horrible date. They had known how close the two juniors were but sometimes it was almost as if they forgot how much they just _got _each other. They were perfect for one another.

They focused their attentions back on their soloist's impromptu speech.

"...And then I realised that I didn't want Kurt to be here just to make me feel better about how things went so shit with Jeremiah. I just wanted him to be here so I could just hug him and tell him how much I miss him even though he has only been gone a few hours and how sorry I am for being such an idiot and saying what I did earlier." He let out a low groan as he flopped backwards on his bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Fuck, I just want _Kurt_."

The foursome grinned and smirked at one another. Blaine remained oblivious to their looks as he scrubbed at his face with his hands.

"So, you want Kurt?" David piped up, slowly, teasingly.

Blaine didn't even have the energy to flip him off, certain he knew where his friend was going with this. "Yes."

"You want Kurt to hug and hold?" Jeff picked up with a beam.

"Yes." Wes and Nick decided to join in.

"You want Kurt to kiss?"

"Yes."

"You want Kurt forever and ever?"

"Yes." This time Blaine softly sighed out his answer.

The Warblers watching him paused for a moment in slight shock; they had not been expecting him to honestly answer that last one. All was quiet in the dorm room for a few minutes as they watched Blaine's sad and slightly longing expression. It made them want to curl up and listen to sad love songs.

"Then go get him, Blaine." Wes finally said. His voice was soft and encouraging and Blaine turned his head to look at him, a frown on his face.

"But how? I mean, I've messed up so badly."

David stood up from the bed and walked over to Blaine, pulling him to sit up before wrapping his arm around his friend and squeezing gently.

"We'll figure something out, buddy. Why don't you start with ringing Kurt up and grovelling down the phone to his voicemail first, ay?"

Blaine leaned into David's sigh for a moment, grateful that they were all willing to help him out with all of this. He smiled slightly and stood up wearily. He felt strangely tired and everything that had gone on in the past few hours. His lips twitched upwards in thanks as he took his phone back from Nick. Sending them all one last questioning look and receiving nothing but encouraging ones back, Blaine stepped quietly out the dorm room and shut the door too behind him.

He scrolled through his contacts and pressed Kurt's number. He held the device to his ear as held his breath as it began to ring in his ear. Eventually a computerised voice sounded in his ear, asking him to leave a message.

"Hey Kurt, it's me..."

_-/-/-/-/-GLEE-/-/-/-/-_

_Author's Note: Okay, I officially suck. I said I would be quicker and I was actually longer… by a few months...Oops! I did try but it was Christmas, then I started working weekends, then I actually collapsed at work and had to spend time in hospital as a patient, which was followed by weeks of physiotherapy as I kind of lost most of my ability to walk... :( le sigh._

_Anyway, most of you are in agreement with me that Blaine is an idiot. He'll eventually get things right though!_

_Wonder how the voicemail will go..._

_Sorry if the date with Jeremiah seemed rushed. I've never actually been on a date before (an almost sad fact considering I am 19...) so I just kind of went along with whatever popped in my head. I know Jeremiah didn't come off that great but I don't care much for him. I actually regret nothing and the scene ended up longer than I'd planned..._

_I shall try to be quicker with my next update! I have ideas of what I want to happen and I have even decided what songs are going to be sung at Regionals! And in case that didn't give you a hint, I am going to be changing quite a lot of the cannon storyline from here on out. Maybe some of it won't seem logical, but we shall have to see how it plays out._

_Thanks for reading! Review?_


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